London Irish resubmit planning applications for the Avenue and Hazelwood sites
London Irish have resubmitted planning applications on the Avenue and Hazelwood Golf course. This follows the Planning Inspectors rejection of their original plans last year. However London Irish have reformulated their plans to overcome the largely technical grounds for refusal given by the Inspector.
In the case of the Hazelwood the application is almost unchanged as the Inspector raise no substantial objections. london Irish are seeking toi convert the golf course into a number of rugby pitches, including an artificial pitch with floodlighting.
London Irish have submitted two alternative applications for the Avenue site; one which addresses the reasons for rejection cited by the Inspector and a second that is less dense and intended to be more in keeping with the surrounding area. The new application is intended to be less controversial than the original one and therefore they hope to get planning permission without the need for a further appeal.
Full details of the applications are available from the Spelthorne Borough Council website
12/00367/OUT Hazelwood - Conversion of the golf course into a rugby training facility
12/00368/OUT Application for 194 units + 60 bed care home on the Avenue site - this is a revision of the original application which was rejected at appeal
12/00369/OUT A new application for 206 units, of which 60 are sheltered accommodation
London Irish have placed great emphasis on the the commitments that they are prepared to enter into to safeguard the local area, but since they do not intend to develop the site themselves these would not be binding on developer. In reality London Irish will sell the site on to a developer once planning permission has been granted and a new owner will be at liberty to submit any scheme they want. Once the principle of development on the site is conceded, a developer can push whatever development will maximise their profit rgeardless of the impact on the local community.
These schemes may give London Irish bigger and better facilities but they will not benefit local residents. The Avenue development will change the character of the area and goes against the designation of the land in the Local Development Framework. Despite the huge cost of of the LDF it has not proved able to protect the scarce open space in Spelthorne.
The Planning Committee will hear these applications on Thursday 21st June. You can comment on any of the applications by email, via 'Planning Applications Online' (see links above) or by sending a letter to: Planning Department, Spelthorne Borough Council, Knowle Green, Staines TW18 1XB. All comments should be received by 11 May 2012.